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Hack/Slash: BACK TO SCHOOL Vol. 1
Slasher hunter Cassie Hack is only just getting used to her man-monster partner, Vlad, when she’s drawn into a new case involving a murderous bunny mascot, dead kids, and an entire squad of maladjusted teenage serial killer-hunters!
A completely new chapter in the beloved, long-running series by Eisner-nominated ZOE THOROGOOD (IT’S LONELY AT THE CENTRE OF THE EARTH) that’s perfect for new readers and old fans alike.
Collects HACK/ BACK TO SCHOOL #1-4
A completely new chapter in the beloved, long-running series by Eisner-nominated ZOE THOROGOOD (IT’S LONELY AT THE CENTRE OF THE EARTH) that’s perfect for new readers and old fans alike.
Collects HACK/ BACK TO SCHOOL #1-4
Kindle Edition
Published June 12, 2024
About the author
Zoe Thorogood
43 books547 followersZoe Thorogood is an English cartoonist. While studying video game art at university, Thorogood began working as a freelance comic book artist. She then achieved notoriety with her graphic novels The Impending Blindness of Billie Scott (2020, Avery Hill Publishing) and It's Lonely at the Centre of the Earth (2022, Image Comics).
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Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews
June 20, 2024
A strange hyper-sexual slasher story. Set in the Hack/Slash universe (also my introduction to that). Great artwork on most pages, but I didn't really understand the world at all. It seemed very random.
The ending is very disappointing and makes the whole thing a tad pointless.
The ending is very disappointing and makes the whole thing a tad pointless.
April 30, 2024
Zoe Thorogood's It's Lonely at the Centre of the Earth is a masterpiece.
Zoe Thorogood's Hack/Slash Back to School is... a comic that exists. Good for her!
Zoe Thorogood's Hack/Slash Back to School is... a comic that exists. Good for her!
Read
November 15, 2024Pourquoi avoir choisi cette couverture alternative et pas celle d’origine ?? Ici ce n’est même pas la personnage principale :((( trop dommage
Sinon comme j’adore ce que j’ai Zoé Thorogood j’ai forcément lu cette nouvelle sortie ! Du gore avec des jeunes filles qui apprennent dans une école à tuer les slashers. C’est surtout le trait de l’autrice que j’apprécie mais elle a aussi réussi à rendre ses personnages touchantes : plein de jeunes filles trauma par leurs passés mais qui se battent malgré tout. Il ne faut pas oublier que c’est un titre qui joue beaucoup avec le « sexy » et même si ce n’est pas mon truc ce n’était jamais too much je pense, en tout cas comme je savais à quoi m’attendre en le lisant ça ne m’a pas trop choqué
Sinon comme j’adore ce que j’ai Zoé Thorogood j’ai forcément lu cette nouvelle sortie ! Du gore avec des jeunes filles qui apprennent dans une école à tuer les slashers. C’est surtout le trait de l’autrice que j’apprécie mais elle a aussi réussi à rendre ses personnages touchantes : plein de jeunes filles trauma par leurs passés mais qui se battent malgré tout. Il ne faut pas oublier que c’est un titre qui joue beaucoup avec le « sexy » et même si ce n’est pas mon truc ce n’était jamais too much je pense, en tout cas comme je savais à quoi m’attendre en le lisant ça ne m’a pas trop choqué
September 17, 2024
I was really enjoying it and then it just ended! Too abruptly, I felt like the setting and characters had more mileage. Loved the monster design, Frogboi and Boo's unhinged everything.
April 22, 2024
sort of had no idea about the hack/slash universe and yes the rest of it is absloutely ludicrious but in the most fun way. this was a great comic, i've never actually read other zoe thorogood works but her art pairs so well with the hack/slash universe. the banter between cassie and vlad was just chefs kiss in thorogood's hands.
September 1, 2024
Hack/Slash: Back to School
Having killed her own mother, who had become a Slasher, Hack wants to become a Slasher hunter. After a Slasher attack at a fast food place she was eating in, with her new, half human, half monster, companion, Vlad, she meets Darla, the teacher/creator of a school for young women who wants to become Slasher hunters and she instantly joins. On her first missions she goes with two other girls from the school, Boo and Sam and after seeing a gamer being cut in half and hang, they get sucked, by a portal on the pc, inside the game frog boy and they see its creator kill himself, due to his ungrateful fanbase. In the second case they investigate a strip club, where the new girls go in, but never get out and in the third and final case of this comic, a Slasher that had been killing happy families all around America comes to the school and the girls need to protect themselves.
This is my first Hack/Slash read and I decided to finally check one of these out because it's written and drawn by Zoe Thorogood, who's work I really admire. I'm really glad I decided to read this, because now I want to also read the original Hack/Slash stories, which wouldn't have grabbed my attention otherwise. Right from the first few pages this was way more interesting and violent than I expected, with beheadings of children taking place in the very first issue of the series. Now if that's not a great attention grabber I don't know what is! In general this whole comic was very fun, full of interesting characters and a lot of great action. At the same time though, Zoe Thorogood is able to explore some darker themes as well. The part with the creator of Frog Boy killing himself, because his fans never cared about him and just demanded more and more of his work is a simple yet interesting commentary on how fans don't really care about the artists, they just want them to create more and more from what they like. Earlier in the comic we can also see a splash page that clearly pays a tribute to the incredible manga "Chainsaw Man", so I can't help but to think about how a lot of the manga creators in Japan have to hide their identities, because their own fans are likely to be a threat to their lives, if they don't continue certain storylines in the way they want to or if they take too long to release new chapters. Besides this very interesting commentary, Zoe also explores trauma and how different people deal with it or suppress it. The most interesting example of this, from this comic, is Boo, who overly-sexualizes herself and obsessed about boys, in order to stay in this small bubble in her mind and avoid thinking about her tragic past. Furthermore, the comic has very nice narration, from Hack's diary and the ending was way more dramatic and tragic than I expected from such a fun comic, although I should've probably seen that coming.
Zoe Thorogood's artwork in this comic was gorgeous as always. The action scenes are dynamic and look awesome, the character designs are unique and fun and all the gore looks disturbing yet beautiful. In general I'm a big fan of her art style, so I really enjoyed all the artwork. If I had one complaint about it though, it'd be that some times she's trying to fit too many panels in one page, making it feel a bit crammed.
Overall, this was a very fun read, with a lot of funny moments and some extremely dramatic ones that inspired me to read more Hack/Slash.
9/10
Having killed her own mother, who had become a Slasher, Hack wants to become a Slasher hunter. After a Slasher attack at a fast food place she was eating in, with her new, half human, half monster, companion, Vlad, she meets Darla, the teacher/creator of a school for young women who wants to become Slasher hunters and she instantly joins. On her first missions she goes with two other girls from the school, Boo and Sam and after seeing a gamer being cut in half and hang, they get sucked, by a portal on the pc, inside the game frog boy and they see its creator kill himself, due to his ungrateful fanbase. In the second case they investigate a strip club, where the new girls go in, but never get out and in the third and final case of this comic, a Slasher that had been killing happy families all around America comes to the school and the girls need to protect themselves.
This is my first Hack/Slash read and I decided to finally check one of these out because it's written and drawn by Zoe Thorogood, who's work I really admire. I'm really glad I decided to read this, because now I want to also read the original Hack/Slash stories, which wouldn't have grabbed my attention otherwise. Right from the first few pages this was way more interesting and violent than I expected, with beheadings of children taking place in the very first issue of the series. Now if that's not a great attention grabber I don't know what is! In general this whole comic was very fun, full of interesting characters and a lot of great action. At the same time though, Zoe Thorogood is able to explore some darker themes as well. The part with the creator of Frog Boy killing himself, because his fans never cared about him and just demanded more and more of his work is a simple yet interesting commentary on how fans don't really care about the artists, they just want them to create more and more from what they like. Earlier in the comic we can also see a splash page that clearly pays a tribute to the incredible manga "Chainsaw Man", so I can't help but to think about how a lot of the manga creators in Japan have to hide their identities, because their own fans are likely to be a threat to their lives, if they don't continue certain storylines in the way they want to or if they take too long to release new chapters. Besides this very interesting commentary, Zoe also explores trauma and how different people deal with it or suppress it. The most interesting example of this, from this comic, is Boo, who overly-sexualizes herself and obsessed about boys, in order to stay in this small bubble in her mind and avoid thinking about her tragic past. Furthermore, the comic has very nice narration, from Hack's diary and the ending was way more dramatic and tragic than I expected from such a fun comic, although I should've probably seen that coming.
Zoe Thorogood's artwork in this comic was gorgeous as always. The action scenes are dynamic and look awesome, the character designs are unique and fun and all the gore looks disturbing yet beautiful. In general I'm a big fan of her art style, so I really enjoyed all the artwork. If I had one complaint about it though, it'd be that some times she's trying to fit too many panels in one page, making it feel a bit crammed.
Overall, this was a very fun read, with a lot of funny moments and some extremely dramatic ones that inspired me to read more Hack/Slash.
9/10
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July 21, 2024I think i would have liked this better if it wasn't a Hack/Slash story. The development was a little thin and Cassie was out of character (especially with her planning to run away and have a cookie cutter life with a character she didn't have THAT much chemistry with though there "relationship" was....fine) and at the end she gets her memory of all the events that happened in the book erased...
To me, in my head, this is a non canon story. I'm just not a fan of Cassie being quick to jump on board to go to this school surrounded by so many young adult girls, atleast have her struggle with it and be cautious at first. I wanted more Cassie and Vlad moments and I hated how another character was responsible for Cassie's infamous 'Kiss It' bat with nails. WHAT?! I understand that this was supposed to be the really early days of Cassie hunting Slashers but it feels too different from the Hack/Slash I adore. However, the art is really great, so nice to look at.
To me, in my head, this is a non canon story. I'm just not a fan of Cassie being quick to jump on board to go to this school surrounded by so many young adult girls, atleast have her struggle with it and be cautious at first. I wanted more Cassie and Vlad moments and I hated how another character was responsible for Cassie's infamous 'Kiss It' bat with nails. WHAT?! I understand that this was supposed to be the really early days of Cassie hunting Slashers but it feels too different from the Hack/Slash I adore. However, the art is really great, so nice to look at.
July 5, 2024
So this is a Hack/Slash book... I don't know why I expected something more (maybe because It's Lonely was so damn good). It's go the blood, the gore and overly sexualized chicks. It's B Movie galore !
Zoe Thorogood creates her own continuity, where Cassie's just starting out when the story starts and literally just met Vlad. She quickly gets recruited into an all girls school for slasher hunters. But she kind of undoes everything she's built by the end of it, through this lame deus ex machina, which was kind of a shame.
Art wise, she injects a little of her chameleonic schtick she did it It's Lonely. There's a bit where they're in a pixel game, which was fun. She really let's her horror manga influence loose in this one as well. But mostly I don't think I quite cared for the shenanigans that ensued..
Zoe Thorogood creates her own continuity, where Cassie's just starting out when the story starts and literally just met Vlad. She quickly gets recruited into an all girls school for slasher hunters. But she kind of undoes everything she's built by the end of it, through this lame deus ex machina, which was kind of a shame.
Art wise, she injects a little of her chameleonic schtick she did it It's Lonely. There's a bit where they're in a pixel game, which was fun. She really let's her horror manga influence loose in this one as well. But mostly I don't think I quite cared for the shenanigans that ensued..
July 4, 2024
I'll read anything that Zoe Thorogood touches (I know I still need to read Rain and Life is Strange, btw).
I had read some Hack/Slash before and this definitely gives the vibe of if the older Hack/Slash comics had a kid with Zoe's other stuff. Overall, it was fun with some reflective moments but the ending gave me a rushed vibe. As if the publisher made the deadline sooner than intended and rushed the author. I feel like this could definitely be flushed out more if Zoe had more issues.
Nonetheless, Zoe is awesome, Hack/Slash is cool horror/action fun, and this was a fun quick read.
I had read some Hack/Slash before and this definitely gives the vibe of if the older Hack/Slash comics had a kid with Zoe's other stuff. Overall, it was fun with some reflective moments but the ending gave me a rushed vibe. As if the publisher made the deadline sooner than intended and rushed the author. I feel like this could definitely be flushed out more if Zoe had more issues.
Nonetheless, Zoe is awesome, Hack/Slash is cool horror/action fun, and this was a fun quick read.
August 5, 2024
I love Zoe Thorogood comics so much. The art here is fantastic. I had no idea about the hack/slash universe and while this comic did not leave me wanting to know more about the 20 years of hack/slash, I think the characters and overall story were very enjoyable. I wanted to know more about THIS particular Hack/Slash, these specific versions of the characters. The ending was quick, I think I understand what happened but it wasn't entirely satisfying.
Still, Zoe Thorogood is one of, if not THE best comic artist right now. I'll happily pick up any of her books
Still, Zoe Thorogood is one of, if not THE best comic artist right now. I'll happily pick up any of her books
June 30, 2024
Thorogood’s art is as great as ever, but I’m less a fan of her genre fiction writing here. I can still recognize her imagination and playful excess, but instead of those tendencies being directed at a poignant memoir or memoir-adjacent story, it’s a goofy mix of splatter horror and skeezy pin-up girl ogling and creepypasta fandom. This is might be a decent Slash/Hack comic, but I don’t have any interest in Slash/Hack and read this because Thorogood made it.
July 20, 2024
This is a very fun book and I recommend trying it! Without giving any specifics, the end is simultaneously built up and also feels like it comes out of nowhere. Like the story just needed to end, so it did. That said, I don’t think it really dampens the journey beforehand in any significant way. It just left me with a feeling like I wanted there to be one more chapter, which is still a good feeling.
July 6, 2024
I really enjoyed this, but it ends soo abruptly! I know it's a prequel to the Hack/Slash series (which I never read) but come on, this is so cool, it could have used an extra issue to give more gravitas to the ending and the characters relationships.
Anyway, if you like Junji Ito or horror manga in general you are going to enjoy this! Zoe rocks
Anyway, if you like Junji Ito or horror manga in general you are going to enjoy this! Zoe rocks
July 18, 2024
Lots of fun. Maybe not Thorogood's best narrative work, but we're here for the art. Lots of imaginative and gory kills, nightmarish monsters, and badass schoolgirls. A ton of fun and doesn't waste your time with pretensions of being anything more than what it is. Zoe Thorogood is a comics rockstar, can't wait for what she does next.
August 24, 2024
Zoe Thorogood’s career is very eccentric but that’s fitting with her aesthetic and approach to comics. I know nothing about the Hack/Slash world but this drew me into that very well. The second chapter in which the girls dive into an indie video game was absolutely brilliant, close to Lonely at the Centre of the Universe level, but the rest was full of really funny gimmicks and over-the-top gore.
June 20, 2024
This book is bizarre. It has a frenetic energy and rushed pacing, days pass without comment, urgency is up and down... But it's charming and weirdly engaging.
July 24, 2024
This fucking RIPPED. I loved it.
September 23, 2024
I wish I had a better review. Grotesque, unreal, perfect.
September 29, 2024
Bleak but wild and gay, and the ending (in several ways) leaves things open for more of this, which I’m down for!
October 10, 2024
This was my first real foray into the Hack/Slash universe, and I absolutely loved my experience. The allusions to various horror franchises mixed with Zoe Thorogood's own unique spin on the genre and designs led to some incredible, thrilling, and absolutely hilarious moments from the very beginning.
The series does suffer a bit from a lack of characterization; while Cassie gets plenty of incredible attention, side characters like Mabel and Boo tend to fall to the wayside, and secondary protagonist Vlad barely gets to make an appearance. I don't blame Thorogood for this fault, of course. fitting this entire, episodic story into only four issues is a challenge in itself, but despite these limitations, she still managed to deliver an incredibly fun and deliciously gory comic series perfect for the spooky season.
The pacing was great. The episodic nature of the storytelling allowed Thorogood to explore vastly different corners of this bizarre horror universe, and the inclusion of the overarching narrative, i.e. the Slasher Kids storyline, gave each chapter a deeper purpose and malice. This book gets weird and silly at times (both huge compliments, as these helped lighten the tone), but it never forgets that at the heart, this is a book about trauma and horror. I don't read a lot of books over again, but this is one that I would definitely consider diving back into for the spooky season.
The series does suffer a bit from a lack of characterization; while Cassie gets plenty of incredible attention, side characters like Mabel and Boo tend to fall to the wayside, and secondary protagonist Vlad barely gets to make an appearance. I don't blame Thorogood for this fault, of course. fitting this entire, episodic story into only four issues is a challenge in itself, but despite these limitations, she still managed to deliver an incredibly fun and deliciously gory comic series perfect for the spooky season.
The pacing was great. The episodic nature of the storytelling allowed Thorogood to explore vastly different corners of this bizarre horror universe, and the inclusion of the overarching narrative, i.e. the Slasher Kids storyline, gave each chapter a deeper purpose and malice. This book gets weird and silly at times (both huge compliments, as these helped lighten the tone), but it never forgets that at the heart, this is a book about trauma and horror. I don't read a lot of books over again, but this is one that I would definitely consider diving back into for the spooky season.
October 5, 2024
Extra star for the art
July 22, 2024
this is the first time ive been buying comics as singles ever, so that's been a fun first. obvs zoe is immensely talented, can do not wrong. its definitely made me interested in checking out hack/slash, which is always nice - even if the ending doesn't quite hit the mark of the initial few issues, it's still a great piece.
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